: In M1 the Pfhor controlled the S'pht using a cyborg Pfhor. Apparently it
: controlled them through their mechanical exoskeleton. See "Beware of
: Low-Flying Defense Drones... (Terminal 3)". I presume this is the way
: they communicated.
Although controlled by the Pfhor cyborg, they clearly have some autonomy as evidenced in Marathon 2, Come and Take Your Medicine, Terminal 1 (2nd message). They can even keep some of their thoughts and actions from the Pfhor, as evidenced by Terminal 2 on the same level.
So let's say your a Pfhor enforcer (clearly willful rank) on the Marathon and you just discovered a hidden alcove with a computer terminal. There is a S'pht compiler nearby and you want him to get to work right away accessing the terminal to see if there is anything of immediate use. Unless the Pfhor have started using cybernetic implants since the S'pht noted otherwise during the conquest of Lh'owon 500 years ago, you will have no direct means of communicating with the compiler. So what are you supposed to do? Contact the Pfhor mother ship to have the Pfhor cyborg tell the compiler what you want him to do? That seems rather absurd, doesn't it? For the sake of argument, let's assume that the S'pht can hear and understand Pfhor speech. How then does the compiler tell you that the terminal is in self-destruct mode and that you only have a few seconds to get out? By the time the message gets to you from the mother ship, it will be too late. There must be a more direct means of communication, but it sure doesn't seem to involve sound, as we never hear the S'pht utter anything.
